Senior Business Development Manager

SET Recruitment Consultants; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

SET Recruitment Consultants seeks an experienced Business Development Manager to drive development of utility-scale renewable energy projects in Cape Town. You will lead across the full development lifecycle, from site identification to construction readiness, engaging landowners and authorities along the way.

The role demands strong stakeholder management, permitting experience and commercial acumen in wind and solar PV technologies, with travel as required.

Qualifications

• Degree in Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Law or related discipline.
• Additional renewable energy, project development, environmental or permitting experience advantageous.
• Minimum 7 years in renewable energy project development or related environment.
• At least 1 year of experience leading or managing a team.
• Experience developing renewable energy projects across wind and/or solar PV.

Responsibilities

• Identify and assess new renewable energy development opportunities across wind, solar PV and other technologies.
• Conduct site visits, feasibility assessments and engagements with key project stakeholders.
• Manage renewable energy projects through the full development lifecycle, ensuring milestones, budgets and technical requirements are achieved.
• Lead negotiations and agreements with landowners, co-development partners and other stakeholders.
• Oversee environmental authorisations, permitting and related regulatory requirements.
• Build and maintain relationships with government authorities, municipalities, landowners and consultants.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Negotiation

Project development

Regulatory knowledge

Leadership

Education

Engineering degree

Law or Environmental discipline

Tools

AutoCAD

QGIS

Google Earth

MS Office

Job description

Business Development Manager – Renewable Energy

Cape Town | Permanent Role

Role Purpose

We are currently recruiting for an experienced Business Development Manager to join a leading renewable energy developer and play a key role in the development of utility-scale renewable energy projects.

This is a senior development position suited to a commercially astute renewable energy professional with strong project development, stakeholder management and permitting experience across wind, solar PV and related renewable technologies.

The successful candidate will take ownership of projects across the full development lifecycle, from initial site identification and opportunity assessment through permitting, investment approval and construction readiness.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify and assess new renewable energy development opportunities across wind, solar PV and other technologies.
• Conduct site visits, feasibility assessments and engagements with key project stakeholders.
• Manage renewable energy projects through the full development lifecycle, ensuring milestones, budgets and technical requirements are achieved.
• Lead negotiations and agreements with landowners, co-development partners and other relevant stakeholders.
• Coordinate and manage external consultants responsible for engineering, environmental and technical studies.
• Oversee environmental authorisations, permitting, land-related processes and other regulatory requirements.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with government authorities, municipalities, landowners, communities, consultants and private-sector stakeholders.
• Prepare and coordinate documentation required for permits, approvals and project development submissions.
• Support internal investment and divestment approval processes through commercial analysis, project assessments and recommendations.
• Work closely with technical, legal, environmental, commercial and project delivery teams to progress projects toward financial close and construction.
• Support the transition of projects into construction and coordinate closely with the Project Manager to ensure development obligations and permits are fulfilled.
• Ensure all permits, licences, authorisations and development requirements are completed ahead of project commissioning.
• Lead, mentor and support members of the business development/project development team.

Qualification and Experience

• Degree in Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Law or a related discipline.
• Additional renewable energy, project development, environmental or permitting experience will be highly advantageous.
• Minimum 7 years' experience within renewable energy project development, infrastructure development or a closely related environment.
• At least 1 year of experience leading or managing a team.
• Demonstrable experience developing renewable energy projects, ideally across wind and/or utility-scale solar PV.
• Strong experience engaging landowners, authorities, municipalities, consultants, development partners and other project stakeholders.
• Practical understanding of renewable energy project permitting, environmental approvals and administrative processes.
• Knowledge of engineering, environmental legislation and the broader renewable energy sector.
• Strong understanding of project planning, development schedules, budgets, risk management and construction readiness.
• Experience assessing project feasibility and supporting investment decisions.

Technical Skills

Candidates should be comfortable working with:

• Microsoft Office Suite
• AutoCAD
• QGIS
• Google Earth

Key Competencies

We are looking for someone who combines strong commercial judgement with excellent relationship-management skills.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

• Strong negotiation and commercial ability
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement
• Confidence dealing with complex or challenging landowner relationships
• Ability to adapt communication to different stakeholders
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making ability
• Resilience and persistence within lengthy project-development processes
• Strong project coordination and organisational capability
• Leadership and team-management skills
• Ability to navigate regulatory, technical and commercial challenges effectively

Additional Requirements

• High level of English proficiency.
• Willingness and availability to travel as required.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced renewable energy development professional looking to take ownership of significant projects and contribute to the continued growth of the renewable energy sector.